The present invention relates generally to apparatus for the thermal decomposition of waste materials and more particularly to apparatus for treating organic wastes and for converting such waste into a gaseous decomposition product.
In the thermal decomposition of organic waste materials, a variety of hydrocarbons are produced in each process which is utilized. These may include products in a gaseous form as well as products constituting a relatively rigid waxy form at normal temperatures. As a result, compounds having a large number of carbon atoms will be deposited upon the walls of tubing or condenser means in the apparatus resulting from cooling of the compositions involved. Because of condensation or solidification resulting from such cooling, blockage of tubes or condensers will result.
As a result it has been found desirable to prevent such blocking by provision of a cooling layer in the gas phase of a reactor or decomposition furnace in order that the heavier products of the decomposition do not flow in the exhaust portions of the apparatus. The heavy products may be separated through condensation and they may be returned to the reactor or decomposition furnace in order to be converted into materials of lower molecular weight.
When the aforementioned processes are carried out through a fractional condenser outside of the reactor, piping running to the fractional condenser may become blocked thereby causing difficulty in the treatment of condensates.
Thus, the present invention is directed to the provision of decomposition apparatus which will prevent blockage from occurring in the exhaust portions of the apparatus. The apparatus of the present invention is intended to effect control of the decomposition exhaust gas product in order to insure that the gaseous product flowing through the exhaust portions of the apparatus will have a boiling point which is low enough to prevent solidification or condensation of the product by inherent cooling which may occur in the exhaust portions of the apparatus.